Device for reversing the direction of rotation of internal-combustion engines.



L. LE PONTOIS.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 2, 1907.

Pabtente Nov. 24, 1908.

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DEVICE PQR RBVERSING THE DIRECTION 0F EOTATION 0F ITERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

L. LE PONTOIS. DEVICE EOE REVERSING THE DIRECTION 0F BOTATION 0F INTERNAL GOMBUSITION ENGINES.

-APPLIIGATION FILED AUG. 2, 1907.

Patented Nov.24,1908.

2 SHEETS-,SHEET Z,

W' se:

ing the Direction UNiTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE. .l

LEON LE PoNTois, oENEwRocHELLE, NEwYoaK.l

DEvicE Eon REVERSING THE DIRECTION or ia'om'rroNy or INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES;

Specification of-Letters Patent.

a Patented Nov. 24, 190s.

Appiicaiion sied August 2, 1907. serial No. 386,696.

To all whom 'it 'may concern.' v Be it known that I, LEON LE Pon'rors, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at New Rochelle, in the county of'Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Device for Reversof Rotation lof Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the 'following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates tozineans for accomplishing such reversal of direction of rotation by.. control of the time lof ignition of the fuel gases employed in such engines, and it consists in a new device for automatic selection of the most advantageous time for such ignition and automatic establishment of ignition at such. time.

The mechanism shown .and described automatically to effect thisresult Internal combustionjeiigines may be constructed so as to be adapted-to rotate in either direction, -and in starting them it often happens that vthe ignition of the fuel gases is accomplished by the -sourceof heat employed for this purpose at so early a time in the revolution'of the engine that the impulse from expansion of the ignited gases is exerted too early to be eflectiveto drive the engine forward and results -in an unexpected and undesirable reversal of the d1- rection of rotation knownas back kick. This result is due to the fact that at the time of ignition and development of the enero'y of the burning gases in the cylinder the crank is still so far ahead of the dead center, that the energy of' inertia in .the fly wheel is insufficient to carry the crank forward to the dead center and slightly past that point. As the speed of revolution of the engine delierein isv a typical one which-will operate creases this result is more ,apt to occu.r by Vreason of the reduced energy of inertia of the fly wheel. e

By my invention Irinake use of the backkick andinake this hitherto undesirable result a useful one to accomplish the -reversal of the engine. This I do by making it take place when desired for this purpose.

My invention consists' in devices `which automatically select the pro er time for the ignition which will success illy accomplish reversal when desired, and in ej'ccting such ignition when a governingv device deter- -ing 7. This The for mines that the right conditions exist. iilechanism which I show and describe t is i l purpose is one which will automatic-` ally determine when the conditions suitablecall a spark governor placed in the electric circuit which furnishes spark. It will be understood that this apparatus maybe used in connection with .an intermittent source of heat by which igiiition is accomplished and will determine when the proper conditions exist for the application of such heat' and will then apply7 it. This specication shows it as applied to the control of a sparking circuit adapted to furnish three ignition sparks at each revolution of the engine, which would be the case if employed upon a six cylinder four' cycle engine, or a three cylinder two cycle engine, if actuated from or in register with the mainl engine shaft.

In theI drawings Figures l and 2 are side and end views.4 l i -Referring tothe drawings: 1 is a shaft dri-ven by t e engine; 2 is a cam which operates the usualspark circuit breaker. This cam is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thebreak is made 9 is movable through its piston 4 and roller 6 bearing upon the cam. A spring 8, presses this contact downwards to meet the lixe'd contact l0-supported in the frame 30, and insulated therefrom by the insulation 33. This frame is mounted in bearings 26, 26, on the shaft and may be turned thereupon Vto time the spark. It is locked between the contacts 9 and 10.

its adjusted position by a lock 32.

The 'cam 3 operates a pump piston -13- l through its stem 5, yoke 51, and roller bearpiston is pressed upwards by its spring-44 -The cams 2 and 3 are adJusted so that the spark break between 9/and 10 oocurs just after the piston 13 reaches its lowest position, as in Fig. 1. When not in ilse to a sector 11, placed' on the frame of the engine and is secured in f the igniting sol and is operated by the cam 2,

this governor piston is caught andfheld in i its depressed position by engagement of a lug 18, with the end 17, of the releasing lever 49. The governor is placed in operatioiiby depressing the lever handle 25, and release n o1' the lug 18. The piston 13, will then be reciprocated so long as the handle.25, is depressed.`

Above the piston 13, is an air tight chamber 21, provided with an elastically supported wall constituting the piston head 35. This piston 1s pressed upwards by its spring 20 and its movement is limited by its engageport 52 with the atmosphere.

The air chamber 21 1s provided .with a passage 22, communicating with the outside air..

A needle valve 23 furnished with a screw thread for adjusting its position closes Vthispassage more or less as adjusted. Another passage 36, leads'from the top of the chamber 21 to a point slightly beyond the rear end of the piston 13 so as to be open to the air when the piston is at the end of its upward movement asA shown by dotted lines, and closed after a slight downward movement of this piston.

In operation the downward movement of the piston 13, first closes the passage 36 and thentends to produce a vacuum inthe chamber 21 and this tends to draw the piston head 35 downward against the upward' pressure of its spring 20 so as to separate the electrodes 15 and 16, and to openthe spark circuit. The valve 23 is set so as to permit the outside air to pass slowly into the chamber 21 to restore the pressure to normal. The rate of admission of the exterior air should besuch that at all speeds of. revolution of the engine above that at which it is desirable to make the reversal ignition the rarefaction of the air in the chamber 21 willecause the electrode 15 to be drawn out of contactwith the electrode 16 at the -time when the break in the spark circuit occurs-between the electrodes 9 and 10. l

As theengine speed decreases the longer period of admission of air. through the passage 22 will so far restore the pressure in 21 to the normal'pressure asto permit contact to be made between the electrodes 15 and 16 in spite of the rarefaction of the air in 21 caused by the downward movement of the 'piston 13. By adjustment of the valve 23 such contact will only be made when the en l gine speed is at. thelright pointfor V,the reversal ignition. At such time the contact between 15 and 16 being established, the sparking circuit is closed and* a break now occurring between the electrodes 9 and 10 1n said circuit (9 and 15 being grounded ou the engine frame) and a'suitable souuce of .electrical energy being supplied, as by the battery 37, induction coil 3S and condenser 39, a spark will bemade at the spark plug L10 igniting the gases in the cylinder. The spark plug shown at 10 'represents one of the plugs which-are employed in ythe respective cylinders. This being properly timed in the stroke bythe setting of the go"- ernor by means of the handle 41 and lockingf sector 11, the reversalrof the engine is accomplished with certainty 'and without iin-- .due strains.

It will be understood that the proper timing y,in the stroke will be obtained by such setting of the governor as will cause the spark to ignite the cylinder gases during the latter part of the compression stroke thus accomplishing a back kick reversal by design. The engine, being' now reversed by such ignition the spark will be advanced 1n the stroke as the engine 1ncreases in speedl in the new directionof ro ta'tion. These adjustments which are made by the handle 41 and securing sector 11, and lock 32, are well known to the users of engines of this class.'

I claim,

1. An ignition governor for internal combustion engines comprising an air pump having a chamber connected to the engine so as t`o be driven at a rate proportional to the speed of the latter to rarefy the air/within its chamber, anl air admission passage for said chamber, and an electric ignition circuit for igniti'ng the fuel gases having means for producing a break therein between two electrodes, oneof which is operatively connected to an elastic member adjacent to said pump chamber, so as to be caused to reciprocate by the rarefaction of the air therein.

2. An ignition governor for internal combustion engines comprising an 'air pump having a chamber connectedto the engine so as to be driven at a rate proportional'to the speed of the latter to rarey the air within its chamber, an-air admission passage fbr said chamber provided with adjustable means for controlling the rate of admission of air through the same, and anelectric ignitioncircuit for igniting the fuel gases having means for producing a break therein between two electrodes,' one of which is operatively connected to an elastic me'inber adjacent to said pump chamber, so as to'be caused to reciprocate by the rarefaction of 

